


teddy bears and chicken soup

by Fireborn



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Clingy Sora, Cuddles, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Sick Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn/pseuds/Fireborn
Summary: “You’re not allowed to tease me.” Sora stuck out his bottom lip. “I’m sick.”He reached out the arm that wasn’t curled around his teddy bear towards Riku. He also coughed again for good measure, in case Riku still had doubts.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 146





	teddy bears and chicken soup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ailurish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ailurish/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Rea!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!! Thank you for always being so amazing <3

_Riku, please come home, I’m dying._

Right after Sora pressed the send button on the gummiphone screen, he let the phone fall out of his hands, upon the mountain of pillows he had assembled on the bed. It bounced off a maroon-coloured pillow and slid between the gaps to be lost to the endless oceans in between. 

Oops.

The next moment, he suddenly realised that maybe the text he sent was just a _little_ bit of an exaggeration. After all, he had lived through darkness and burn wounds and a million bruises and scrapes, and he’d survived all of that. It stood to reason he would be able to survive a common cold. What was more, maybe Riku would panic just a _little_ bit over receiving a text like that. Considering both those things, Sora felt like it was the right thing to do to rectify that last statement in his message slightly.

But for that, he would need his phone again. He sighed deeply and wriggled his fingers around in the gap the phone had slid into, twisting left and right to try and find it.

Ah, gotcha.

He closed his fingers around the yellow case and pulled out the phone with a triumphant grin.

_PS, I’m not actually dying._

Satisfied, Sora sank himself back down to bury himself under the blankets, one hand next to the box of tissues he’d taken into bed with him, and the other arm curled around his faded-purple teddy bear (which may or may not sleep in their bed each evening). Usually during the daytime, his bear was perched in the corner of the bed, resting against the wall, but right now it was really nice to wrap his arms around something soft and fluffy, to make up for his current lack of boyfriend to cling to.

“Why did I have to get sick, Bobo? It’s not fair. I was gonna go on a mission with Donald and Goofy tomorrow, too, but now they’re gonna tell me to _rest_.”

“But Sora,” Sora said in his best bear-voice. “Everybody gets sick sometimes. Won’t it be nice to have a bit of a vacation?”

“Getting sick is _boring_. Ugh.” Sora buried his face in the curve of Bobo’s neck.

“But Riku will take care of you!” he breathed into the bear’s fluffy skin in a deep voice.

At that thought, Sora perked up a little. That was indeed true, and it made him look forward even more to the moment Riku would come home. Riku had left early morning on his motorbike for some ( _boring_ ) history research at the Destiny Islands library. Sora was supposed to be packing and reading the mission briefings that Yen Sid had sent over, but instead, he’d woken up with a sore throat, a headache, and bleary eyes.

Cuddling with Riku was just what he needed. Sora sighed wistfully at the thought of it. Riku would hug him close and whisper how sorry he was for Sora. And he’d make Sora tea with honey and he’d get biscuits for him… And maybe he’d even get a washcloth to cool off Sora’s burning forehead. That would be really nice… 

Sora struggled to keep his eyes open (sleeping while the sun was out was _boring_ ), but he failed, and his eyelids drooped against his will. As he waited for Riku to arrive, he drifted in and out, unable to really fall asleep because his nose kept running and he needed to take tissues out of the box every few minutes to avoid making a mess of the blankets, Bobo, and the pillows he was currently buried amongst.

One by one, he threw the used tissues out of the bed, in the general direction of the floor.

Considering how small the Destiny Islands were, it took _forever_ until Sora heard the front door open and close. Luckily, after that, it was only a few seconds until Riku’s footsteps reached the front of the stairs and the bedroom door opened.

But where Sora had expected a lot of sympathetic coos and Riku rushing over to hug him and bury a hand in his hair (a hand in his hair sounded really nice…), there was a long pause instead. Sora pulled down the corner of one of the three blankets he was lying under and raised his head the barest amount to peek at Riku standing in the doorway.

“Sora…”

Sora’s tired eyes tried to focus on Riku’s face.

“Riku, I’m sick,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“I can… see that…” Riku put his hand on his hip and had the audacity to frown at Sora. “You said you were _dying_.”

“I may have exaggerated a little…” Sora confessed, waving his hand noncommittally. “Anyway, I rectified that!”

“Ten minutes later! By then I’d already been breaking the speed limit for nine minutes.”

“You broke the speed limit for me?” Sora exclaimed happily before launching into a fit of coughs. And then, when he found his voice again, “Because you love me!”

At that, Riku’s face finally broke into his trademark mellow smile, and he shook his head minutely. “Apparently. Who would’ve guessed?”

“You’re not allowed to tease me.” Sora stuck out his bottom lip. “I’m sick.” He reached out the arm that wasn’t curled around his teddy bear towards Riku. He also coughed again for good measure, in case Riku still had doubts.

As if summoned, Riku went to him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and Sora made a grabby hand gesture, overjoyed when Riku smiled and opened his arms. Sora scrambled over to fall into Riku’s embrace, his head in Riku’s lap. Two of the three blankets were stuck between them, but Sora didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Riku’s waist tightly, and just the physical contact made him feel better immediately. 

“Pet my hair,” Sora said drowsily. 

Riku chuckled. “Please, Riku,” he said in a voice two octaves higher. “Will you please pet my hair for me?” 

In reply, Sora blew a snotty raspberry into Riku’s t-shirt, not even dignifying Riku’s words with a verbal response. And sure enough, after a beat, Riku’s hand came up to weave into the hair on the top of his head, fingers slowly curling against his scalp, stroking a little in that exact way that Sora liked. 

Sora mumbled happily and melted against Riku, his aching muscles fully relaxing. His eyes fell shut, and his lips curved up in a faint smile. The headache that had been simmering behind his eyes lessened a little.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. At some point, Riku rearranged the blankets around his shoulders, wrapping Sora up like a burrito, gently nudging his limbs to move a little. Sora let him do as he wished, soothed by Riku’s touches. Riku’s hands were cool against his skin.

Sora wasn’t sure how it was possible to feel hot and cold at the same time, but he did. He was glad for the blankets as they stopped him from shivering, yet his forehead was still burning. When Sora lay back down with his head in Riku’s lap, looking up, Riku’s fingers were gentle on his temple and his cheek before brushing away the bangs from his forehead.

“‘S nice,” Sora mumbled. “Thank you. I'm sorry I made you worry.”

Suddenly, there were tears in his eyes, though he didn’t know why. He pressed them shut, rolling closer to Riku’s stomach so he could press his cheek into Riku’s shirt. Riku smelled like library and motorcycle — stale air and books and a hint of exhaust fumes. Well, Riku did say he’d been driving fast.

But most of all, he smelled like _Riku_ , like ripe apples and morning dew and a hint of his citrusy shower gel. Even with a stuffy nose, Sora could pick out all the wisps of Riku’s smell and let them comfort him.

“It's okay,” Riku said softly. “I’m sorry you’re sick.”

Sora hummed.

“And the day before you would go on a mission, too.”

“I’ll still go,” Sora muttered. “I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Riku was silent for a moment, and Sora could hear his disagreement even though he didn’t say. “We’ll see… tomorrow.”

Sora pouted but didn’t disagree. If he was honest, there was no way he was fit enough to travel tomorrow. And he thought back to what Bobo the Bear had told him. Cuddling with Riku was also really nice. It was the only good thing to come out of being sick.

Sora drifted off a little to the rhythm of Riku’s fingers brushing over his forehead and into his hair. Slow, soothing strokes that sent warm, reassuring tingles down his spine. His breathing calmed down, too, synchronising with Riku’s subconsciously.

When Riku spoke up next, it almost startled Sora.

“What do you wanna eat? Shall I make you some chicken soup?”

Sora pondered the question for a minute through the cotton feel inside his brain, but he found he really wasn’t hungry. 

“Nothing,” he murmured.

“Sora,” Riku said patiently. “You gotta eat something, even if you’re not hungry.”

“No,” Sora said petulantly. He didn’t want Riku to go, and he didn’t want food. “I think I’ll just survive on your love alone.”

Riku laughed, incredulously, the sound more like a snort than anything. “As romantic as that thought it, sadly that’s not how the world works. I’m gonna make you some soup.”

Riku started to move, wrapping his arms around Sora’s shoulders to lay him back into the mountain of pillows. When he’d placed Sora down again, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck lightly, clinging in the hope that Riku would stay.

“Don’t go.”

“I’ll only be gone for a moment, Sora.” Riku picked up the teddy bear and held him out to Sora instead. “You can cuddle with Bobo when I’m gone.”

“But I love you more than Bobo.”

Riku chuckled. “While I’m flattered, I’m still gonna make you something to eat.”

Sora pouted and sighed, but he did let go of Riku to wrap his arms around the teddy bear instead. Riku kissed his forehead, a brush of warm skin on warm skin, and that placated Sora a little. But he still didn’t want Riku to leave. He’d just go downstairs to the kitchen with him.

When Riku had pulled away and was halfway to the bedroom door, Sora tried to untangle himself from the blankets. He succeeded in getting his feet out, so he sluggishly swung them over the edge of the bed. The wooden floorboards were cool against the soles of his feet. With the blankets still wrapped around his thighs and torso, he tried to stand so he could follow Riku. But he hadn’t anticipated the rush of blood to the head, nor the way the blankets were limiting his freedom of movement to flail and find his balance. 

He vaguely felt himself keeling over forwards, only to be caught in a pair of strong arms.

“Sora!”

Sora couldn’t decide if Riku sounded more worried or frustrated. He liked to think it was worried. But his head was spinning too much, and thinking actually _hurt_ a little, so he didn’t protest as Riku scooped him up bridal-style to put him back into bed. He smoothed out the blankets, ensuring Sora was all covered up as Sora tried to make Riku’s head of silver hair and the lamp on the ceiling stop spinning.

“Now can you please be patient for fifteen minutes while I go and make soup?”

Sora nodded, his lips pressed together. Then he deflated. Riku was right. He probably shouldn’t be moving in this state, but he didn’t want Riku to go away. He’d only just got here. It wasn’t fair. Everything was stupid and boring without him.

“After you eat something, we can cuddle for as long as you want, okay?”

“Promise?” Sora wasn’t even ashamed of how small his voice came out.

“Promise.”

“Okay.”

Riku left the room again, but instead of footsteps on the stairs, Sora heard running water from the bathroom. Shortly after, Riku came back with a wet washcloth that he placed on Sora’s forehead, and wow, that felt _really_ nice. Sora’s eyes fell shut and he smiled a little.

“I’ll be quick,” Riku said, and then he was gone again.

To Sora's surprise, he actually napped for a bit, only waking up again when the mattress dipped on his right side. His eyes were still bleary when he struggled to open them, but he did feel marginally better having slept a little.

“Riku?” His voice was hoarse, and the question ended in a coughing fit. 

“Were you expecting anyone else?” Riku teased softly, but he took the washcloth and helped Sora sit up and rest against the headboard. His eyes were _really_ bright and green from this close.

“I told you,” Sora said weakly. “You’re not allowed to tease me when I’m sick.”

“Okay, okay,” Riku said with a smile. “I made you chicken soup to make up for it. Can you forgive me?”

“Mmmm,” Sora hummed, wiggling a little to make himself more comfortable. He wrapped his arms around Bobo and looked up at Riku with his best puppy eyes. Judging by the way Riku’s face softened, he’d nailed the look. “Okay, I forgive you.”

“Thank you,” Riku said. He moved so he was sitting on Sora’s right side, and moved to get the glass of water from the tray on the nightstand. “Here.”

Sora took the glass and drank gratefully. He was actually really thirsty, now he thought about it. When he finished, he snuggled even closer to Riku, making sure they were pressed fully together. Riku wrapped an arm around his shoulder, making a few reassuring humming sounds. “Better?”

“Yeah,” Sora said. He could probably eat the soup now, too.

Riku handed him the bowl next, and Sora handed him Bobo in return. When Sora set to eating, Riku set Bobo in his arms and launched into a story about the book he’d found in the Destiny Island library. Something about how back in the day, the islands here had been closer together, had maybe even been connected to other worlds that drifted away across the ocean. Sora listened with half an ear, the other half of his attention on the salty, garlicky flavour of the soup and the bits and pieces of carrot and onion. Riku had used his mom’s recipe; every spoonful was soothing and perfect.

He felt a bit bad he wasn’t able to focus on Riku’s story, but the way Riku was talking, low and soft and a little monotonous, probably meant he wasn’t expecting Sora to respond anyway. The hand of his arm came up to gently knead the tense muscles in Sora’s neck.

With the bowl finished, Sora turned his body into Riku’s embrace, letting Riku cup the back of his head, Riku’s other arm tight around his waist.

“Can we cuddle now?” Sora said softly.

Riku made a gentle noise of agreement. He shifted until they were both lying down, Sora on his left side and Riku spooning him in the cradle of his chest. Somehow, Bobo had ended up back in Sora’s arms, and Riku’s arm was around his waist, pulling him back into his embrace.

Sora’s eyes fell shut with a sigh. The soup had made him stop shivering at last — or maybe it was Riku’s touch? Riku always knew how to touch him to make him feel better; Sora didn’t know how he did it. But his painful throat and his headache and all the other discomforts sort of melted away as Sora’s breathing evened out. Riku pressed his face into Sora’s hair, inhaling deeply. 

“Sleep now, Sora. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

“Stay with me?”

Riku tightened his hold against Sora’s stomach for a moment, before relaxing again. “Of course. I'll be here when you wake up.”

Sora shivered with something other than cold as he let himself fully relax. The devotion in Riku’s voice made something squirm nicely in his chest, and he tightened his arms around Bobo with a rush of giddy feelings. “Love you,” he said, a little breathless.

“Love you too. Even when you’re clingy and pouty.”

“Especially when I’m clingy and pouty.”

Riku huffed softly, but Sora could hear the amusement in the sound. He didn’t deny Sora’s words.

Sora had just enough energy left for a half-formed smirk before the sleep that had been tugging at him for a while finally pulled him under.

Maybe being sick wasn’t all bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me about Sora and Riku on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/fortheloveinyou) :D


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